Brooklyn Library Card Study Findings Available Now
Brooklyn Public Library

In 2023, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, BPL launched a research project to collect and study cardholder signup policies from public libraries across the nation. The project aims to identify the range of policies and procedures which govern cardholder access as well as the rationale used for establishing, keeping or updating those policies. A total of 1,895 public libraries participated in the research, representing every single U.S. state and the District of Columbia.

The data collection, which took place in Fall 2023, was done primarily using an online survey, with qualitative data collected across several focus groups. The published report is now available, as well as an interactive dashboard drawing from the collected data set. The raw data is available by request. Read the report now.

You can also listen to an episode of PLA's The Public Libraries Podcast to learn more about the catalyst for the Cardholder Signup Practices study—the Books Unbanned initiative—and how it spurred their curiosity to examine library access and then walks us through the study's objectives and key findings, shedding light on the challenges of ensuring equitable access, particularly for marginalized communities. Listen here.

Part two of the project is to create a framework of recommended standards and best practices for public libraries to refer to when setting their policies around library card signup, grounded in our professional values of access and intellectual freedom. BPL is recruiting for a working group of library leaders to join us in this work. The group will meet approximately 6-8 times virtually from May-Aug 2024. Sign up and learn more.

Please contact BPL's Director of Customer Experience Amy Mikel at amikel@bklynlibrary.org with any questions.

Spotlight on King County Library System Executive Director Heidi Daniel
King County Library System

This week, the Seattle Times published a feature on new King County Library System Executive Director and ULC Board Member Hiedi Daniel. A month into her new role, the Times sat down with Daniel to talk about her path to the Pacific Northwest and what lies ahead for the library system.

Raised in Alma, Mich. — where she began her love affair with libraries — Daniel has held previous library leadership roles in Houston; Youngstown, Ohio; and Baltimore, each larger than the next. Daniel says that she’s worked in “challenging municipal settings and positions” before, albeit not of this magnitude. Since March, she’s visited 14 KCLS branches thus far as part of what she calls a “learn, listen, and discover tour.”

"Every job that I’ve had, the question is, what’s the library’s role?" remarked King. "And how do we manage the various demands of being a public institution? For me, because I’m a very community-based leader, our job is to respond to community needs and offer what resources the community is looking for."

Read the full transcript of the interview from The Seattle Times.

Iowa City Launches Initiative to Reuse and Recycle Books
Iowa City Public Library

Just in time for Earth Day, the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation and the Iowa City Recycling Center have launched an initiative that will reuse and recycle used books instead of adding to the landfill. Jane Wilch, Recycling Coordinator for the city, says the city will continue to recycle books that are past their use, but the initiative will take quality intact books and shipped to Thriftbooks for resale. Proceeds from the sale of the items will then directly benefit the Iowa City Public Library.

For more information about the initiative, visit icpl.org or support/icpl.org.

Volunteers Recognized for Decades-Long Commitment
Calgary Public Library

Calgarian Carolyn Arrell first decided to volunteer for the Calgary Public Library at age 33 in 1974. Now at age 83, some 50 years later, she has continued to serve her community and readers through the Calgary Public Library’s Homebound Readers program. Arrell, along with fellow volunteers Nellie Befus, 96, and Norma High, 91, were the original trio of volunteers for that program to deliver library materials to individuals who were temporarily or permanently unable to visit a library branch. The trio were recognized for their longstanding contributions to the Calgary Public Library and patrons during the 2024 National Volunteer Week.

Arrell said that despite receiving a beautiful set of flowers and an engraved glass plaque to recognize her years of dedication, she said the acknowledgment was just a bonus. Helping others was the true reward. “I just feel that people who don’t have the luxury of attending a library and picking up their own books and everything else," she said. "It’s just so wonderful that I can extend their love of listening and or reading by doing this. It’s just part of who I am right now.”

Read the full article from Livewire Calgary.